1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to wireless remote control systems for controlling receiver devices, and in particular to a handheld device for displaying information and transmitting codes to a remote receiver device to cause said device to tune to a selected program.
2. Related Art
Remote controls have been available since the late 1950s, beginning with the single button xe2x80x9cCyclopsxe2x80x9d from RCA in 1959. Since then, both form and function have evolved beyond the original single button which controlled power and channel scrolling. Over time, remote controls and the consumer appliances which they control have experienced an exponential increase in complexity.
Resulting from the recognition of the problems associated with the growth in the number of remote controls around the home and their growing complexity, different attempts have been made to unify these devices and simplify their interfaces. In 1986, Steve Wozniak, a founder of Apple Computer, formed a company called Cloud 9 which attempted to build a universal remote control that would work with every electronic device. Cloud 9 eventually released a product called xe2x80x9cCORExe2x80x9d, which ultimately did not succeed in the consumer market due to the difficulty users had in remembering the functionality of programmed buttons.
These devices attempted to solve. a fundamental problem with consumer appliances; as appliances offer greater interactivity with users, the remote control in its present form will be unable to support these new innovations. These efforts ultimately failed due to the complexity of the remote control; instead of taking the complex functionality of a remote control and simplifying its use, these units took a complex remote control and made it more complex.
Today, remote controls can be classified into two distinct categories: xe2x80x9cbundledxe2x80x9d remote controls (included with consumer devices such as stereos and televisions) and aftermarket universal remote controls. xe2x80x9cBundledxe2x80x9d remote controls typically serve to control only the component with which it was packaged.
Universal remote controls are available in a wide range of prices and features. Most are sold for under $50 and come configured for use with a wide range of standard components. Some of these remote controls possess the ability to learn new infrared codes as well. However, there is little value added by these devices apart from the ability to consolidate multiple remote controls into a single device. Downfalls include a loss of features which were available on the old remote control which are not available on the universal remote, a larger set of arcane buttons to search through, and difficulty adding new remote control emulation without the instruction book.
One device found at the high end of universal remote controls is the RR-990 (and its British counterpart, the Remote Angel IR-01) developed by Rotel. The RR-990 is a preprogrammed device which is also capable of learning new IR codes. The user interface is implemented entirely in software with a reasonable level of user customization. User input is accepted exclusively through an LCD touchscreen. The RR-990 can operate in two modes: one which provides access to all buttons and another which presents only basic functions. The RR-990 provides an advanced visual interface, but users complain that use of the LCD touchscreen for commonly used features is difficult.
The Marantz RC-2000 is another popular device which allows for automated key sequences through macros and a large number of user programmable buttons. Marantz also attempts to move some of the interface toward a software look-and-feel by using an LCD character display.
Perhaps the most advanced, and most costly, universal remote control is the Lexicon 700t. The 700t presents the user with a touch screen remote control which employs icons to navigate the interface of this computer-like device. Although fully customizable, the device must be programmed by a technician.
In the related art described above, a universal remote control""s ability to operate with a plurality of consumer electronics devices is encoded into the remote control unit at the time of manufacture. As a result, the introduction of new consumer electronics devices (televisions, VCRs) operating with new coding schemes may lead to incompatibilities with the existing universal remote control. This gives rise to a problem in that existing universal remote control units may become obsolete. The related art also requires the programming of universal remote controls by the end user in such a manner which requires the end user to try multiple codes associated with a particular manufacturer to operate the target consumer electronics device.
Further, unique specialized functionality is often sacrificed on universal remote controls so that features may be included which are most commonly found in the greatest set of consumer electronics devices. When remote controls are designed to meet the needs of the lowest common denominator, the end-user may lose specialized functionality unique to their specific consumer electronic device.
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), also referred to as xe2x80x9cminiature palmtop computers,xe2x80x9d define a group of computers and technologies emphasizing information portability. PDAs often incorporate mobile communications capabilities. Seeking to break the barriers which currently hinder the applicability and ease of use of current desktop and laptop computers, PDAs come packaged with a variety of xe2x80x9cfunctionalxe2x80x9d applications (e.g. calendar, phone book, to do list).
The technologies underlying PDAs were first developed in the late 1980""s as a digital, technology driven response to the tremendous growth in the market for personal organizers. PDAs have since developed down two competing designs: keyboard systems, such as the Sharp Wizard, and pen based systems, such as the PalmPilot.
Pen based PDA""s were first debuted around 1993 with the introduction of the ATandT EO Personal Computer. Other systems include the Apple Newton MessagePad, the Tandy Zoomer, the IBM-BellSouth-Mitsubishi Simon and the Motorola Envoy. Many of these systems employed handwriting recognition technology for input; however, the systems required such precision that the units were nearly unusable in ordinary working conditions.
The PalmPilot was introduced in 1996 at an industry trade show. Separating the PalmPilot from its many competitors were the following features:
Lightweight (5.7 ounces) and compact design (3.1xe2x80x3xc3x974.6xe2x80x3xc3x970.6xe2x80x3)
Single-button synchronization of data with a personal computer
Highly accurate handwriting recognition based upon Graffitti(copyright) technology
The Palm III offered an update to the original PalmPilot series of PDAs by adding built-in infrared capabilities and extended memory. Trade press has also reported on the development of a new addition to the PalmPilot series called the xe2x80x9cRazorxe2x80x9d. Slated for introduction at the beginning of 1999, the Razor will bring color capabilities to the PalmPilot series, as well as Web browsing, a new form factor, and additional connectivity features.
In the Spring of 1998, Microsoft and a number of different hardware companies offered devices running Windows CE for palm computers. The devices offer similar capabilities, features, and functionality to the PalmPilot series of PDAs.
Electronic Program Guides (EPGs), offering television program listings in an electronic format, have evolved from traditional print media sources such as TV Guide and listings found in local newspapers.
Electronic Program Guides (EPGs) are known for providing listings of scheduled programming. On-screen listings are one form of EPGs provided by cable/satellite/broadcast service providers offering differing levels of service. Some services, such as the Prevue Channel, simply provide a rolling grid of listings. Services such as this do not allow for any level of interaction by the user. These services are typically provided free of charge with basic cable.
More advanced services, such as those provided by GEMSTAR""s StarSight and satellite television service providers, allow for user interaction. The user can move a cursor through a grid of listings and direct the program guide to change the channel based on the program which is selected. The StarSight system requires a compatible TV and VCR (or enabling hardware).
The World Wide Web has emerged in recent years as an alternative method of distributing and displaying EPGs. Nearly all are free-of-charge and the most advanced services are fully customizable. Related content, such as program descriptions, interviews, and commentary, are also available. Some of the more popular web sites include GIST (http://www.gist.com), TVGuide Entertainment Network (http://www.tvgen.com), and UltimateTV (http://www.ultimatetv.com). Despite the many positive features these firms have developed in their sites, web-based services lack the ease of use found in print media and on-screen services. For instance, a television viewer who wants to know when a movie will be showing is not likely to have a web browser immediately available for use in front of the television. This lack of portability will likely hinder the long term prospects of web-based efforts.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved, extended functionality remote control.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a remote control which overcomes limitations of the prior art as set forth above.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides an extended functionality remote control (EFRC) which is a hardware/software implementation of an integrated interface for remote control emulation. A PDA or other portable computing device is used as a platform for the EFRC application software and peripheral hardware. The EFRC also merges information services into remote controls. Implementation of these information services takes the form of, e.g., electronic program guides (EPGs) merged with the functioning of remote controls.
In addition to the PDA platform, the hardware portion of the invention according to a preferred embodiment includes a keypad and an infrared transmitter subsystem which are managed by a microcontroller. The microcontroller exchanges data with PDA""s application software via a serial communications link. Remote control emulation and the electronic program guide are implemented in application software written for the PDA""s operating system.
The EFRC according to a preferred embodiment provides a universal remote control which can remain current by shifting the remote control code functions of a universal remote control from firmware, where it is pre-encoded and not modifiable at any time, to software. New codes may be made available at all times through the internet and downloaded into an application which can utilize these codes for the targeted consumer electronics device.
To overcome current problems with the programming of present universal remote controls, the preferred embodiment provides the user the ability to select the components of their specific consumer electronic device on the World Wide Web, leading to the download of a data file by the user with all remote control code information preprogrammed into this data file.
To accomplish the preservation of specialized functionality and features, the universal remote control according to its preferred embodiment can dynamically construct the user""s remote control buttons on a graphical touch screen, from information contained within the downloaded data file.